I recently had the chance to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts. The museum is a great balance…read morebetween being expansive and still manageable. You can easily spend a few hours here without feeling overwhelmed. What stood out most was the diversity of the collection. From classic European paintings to modern and contemporary works, there's something for every kind of art lover. The layout of the museum is intuitive, and I appreciated how easy it was to move between galleries without getting lost. Staff were friendly and helpful without being intrusive, and the overall atmosphere felt relaxed rather than stuffy. Overall, I'd highly recommend the Detroit Institute of Arts to anyone visiting Detroit or even locals who haven't been in a while. It's a thoughtfully curated, enriching experience that feels both accessible and inspiring.

As a lifelong dilettante of the arts, I have long held the DIA in the highest esteem. I revere the…read morecathedral hush of the galleries, the grandeur of lunching beneath the vaulted glass of the Kresge Court, the solemn historical weight of Rivera's murals, and the operatic extravagance of The Officer of the Hussars, whose horse appears perpetually moments from stealing the entire painting. I am, in short, a woman of superb taste. And then, of course, there are The Nut Gatherers. Now, it is a little-known fact that William-Adolphe Bouguereau's renowned oil painting, The Nut Gatherers, was originally conceived with adult women as its subjects. I happen to know this for a fact because, for a very brief and professionally ill-advised moment, I was one of those women. Allow me to share my personal contretemps. This was during the period in which I was actively exploring new employment opportunities following my regrettable trist with Greenfield Village, a chapter that may or may not have included an order of protection against a certain biotch ex-coworker from the tinsmith shop whose pathological lying was rivaled only by her raging case of oral herpes (see my previous review for further details). The job description for "nut gatherer" was as Delphic as they come, not to mention entirely en français. It promised "live modeling for a classical composition," "physical stamina," and "comfort with prolonged, natural poses." Experience preferred. Discretion required. Wardrobe, it noted coyly, would be "minimal and historically faithful." "Nut gatherer" was not a title I was accustomed to, but I assumed this was simply the romance of translation at work. Surely this was the literal phrasing from the French. Besides, the industry has always found new and creative ways to sanitize its nomenclature: exotic dancer, adult entertainer, webcam model, etc. My curriculum vitae was already extensively "fluffy," shall we say, so I entered the interview supremely confident in my qualifications. I reclined slightly on the wide leather casting couch, crossed one leg with intention, and cleared my throat in preparation for what I assumed would be a frank but professional discussion. Although I studied French for many years, I confess that my fluency had deteriorated into a cocktail of menu-deciphering, shampoo-label translation, and occasional Québécois profanity shouted at ice rinks. Still, I came prepared with questions. How many nuts require gathering? What is the varietal? Are they fleshy? What is the circumference of said nuts? Will I be gathering one at a time or two at a time? Will they be husked or au naturel? Should I be prepared for any crème de noisette clean-up? There was a pause. A long one. Then a polite but visibly alarmed gentleman slid a portfolio across the table. Inside were charcoal studies of hands, baskets, fabric folds, and several extremely wholesome agricultural diagrams. No bodies. No boudoir. No anything remotely resembling what I had been preparing to offer. It was at this moment, I regret to inform you, that I attempted to clarify my enthusiasm. The precise phrasing is not something I will be memorializing in print, but I will say this: it began as an inquiry about whether "full commitment to the role" was encouraged, an anxious sense that I was in danger of losing the part for not adequately demonstrating my range, and ended with a sentence that began with, "Here, it's easier if I just show you..." immediately followed by an all-out yet borderline desperate demonstration of "flexibility." The silence that followed was immediate, total, and devastating. I was escorted out with the efficiency typically reserved for museum patrons who touch the artwork. My termination was not so much delivered as performed, in the hushed, mortified tone one uses when explaining to someone that they have catastrophically misunderstood the assignment. In the end, the artist decided to use children instead of adults for the final painting. The finished work was revered by the masses. Let me tell you some other things that are revered by the masses: Marvel origin stories, compulsory monogamy, "Live, Laugh, Love" decor, and Bud Light. In my learned opinion, the end result was saccharine, jejune even, no more original than a palimpsest and twice as eager to be liked, the visual equivalent of a museum gift shop postcard that reassures rather than challenges. In other words: not fucking sexy. At all. And yet...le sigh. I will still return to the DIA. I will still linger beneath Rivera's murals. I will still lunch in the Kresge Court like a minor European despot fallen on Midwestern times. I will still bring out-of-towners and speak in reverent tones about brushwork and composition, because even when it rejects me, this institution remains magnificent.

MOCAD is a great little spot located off Woodward in Detroit…read more It is quaint & the time to get through the museum is quicker than most museums. The set up is perfect for the featured artists. There are discounts for veterans also. There is a cafe located at the end of the tour. This is also an event space!

Here's another gem in the city. I've visited this museum on several occasions as well. The first…read moretime was to see the artwork on display. They were featuring a local artist from Detroit at the time. The museum is big on the outside but inside there isn't many pieces of art. It's contemporary which I enjoy. The other portion of the museum is used for shows/events. I went a few weeks ago to see Terri Lyne Carrington and Mickalene Thomas do a collaboration. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I would definitely recommend visiting when there's an event taking place.

True piece of history packed into a small house. The tour was really good as you see how some of…read moreAmerica greatest talent came through these doors. It's a little tight as it really is just an out house but new building is being built right behind it that should allow them to expand their exhibits and displays.

On a road trip and wanted to check out this museum. Their guided tours here are on hold while they…read moreextend their exhibits but just down the street they have a warehouse open giving guided tours. Our tour guide, Roy, made this experience so much more with his experience with growing up in the area, side chat about how he walked by Hitsville as a kid, his family owned a store down the street (sadly burned down), owning his own pizza store and giving us great recommendations for a pizza spot. Would enjoy coming back to see the new exhibit once opened. Also, go to Michigan&Trumall Pizza while in the are...Roy's suggestions!

I brought my almost 4 year old granddaughter here recently. They have a toddler area and a Kids…read moreTown area. The Kids Town area was her favorite with water activities and some interactive exhibits. The toddler area was ok, with some large building blocks and a few other things that she enjoyed. The motion gallery and several exhibits were non-functioning, but for a 4 year old it didn't matter, but it would to older kids. The colorful escalator, the numbers hopscotch and even the small scale Mackinac Bridge were a hit. She LOVED the science show with the gases, fire and exploding balloons although she covered her ears for the 'booms'. Pricing is outrageous I think - $69 for 2 adults and a toddler. What?! I can go to the Outdoor Adventure Center for $5 a head (senior price), and $5 for her. The Nature Center on Belle Isle is FREE. Parking is free but limited, I got the last spot, my bf who met me there had to find street parking. The gift shop was nice and of course on the way out so we ended up with a stuffed animal and some mystery sand adding another $20 to my bill, so $89 for a 2.5 hour visit. OUCH.

What an awesome museum for kids to explore and learn! We had free tickets to come visit and check…read morethis place out and we were not disappointed. The kids were free because they are 2 as well. The parking in the lot next to it was $8 and its gated so it felt really safe. They have a ramp if you have a stroller. They offer stroller parking too. We walked around the main floor and checked out the exhibits. Then we went to the lower level and played in the kids area. The kids loved it. They do clean 12:30pm to 1:00pm. We were able to play for an hour. They loved the water section. There was dancing fruit in one of the rooms and my son was dancing a lot. Another room had soccer balls that he was throwing. They had a pretend kitchen area and a seated area with magnetic blocks. My kids did not want to leave. When we walked out they had a demonstration at the science stage at 12:30pm about fire. That was really cool. They also have IMAX theatre shows. We did not want to participate in that because our kids would just scream. We did go to the dinosaur exhibit on the third floor as well. Overall, it is a nice, clean, and fun museum for kids. We will definitely be back!

This was the first time I went to this artist market. It's not really what I would call a market,…read moreit was much fancier than that. I guess it's called that because they showcase different Artist from e everywhere. The Artist that I really fell in love with was Catherine Washington, a new Artist. She is an amazing local talent. View her crochet work in my pictures - see the beautiful face she crocheted! I can't believe what she can do with yarn. Incredible! The Artist Market has many beautiful and unique pieces of other artwork, like jewelry, crafts, ceramics and more. I Will definitely be back...they had wine and cheese too!

I've visited this spot multiple times. It's a museum/artist market for local Detroit artists. The…read morefront usually has a display of multiple artists or a theme. The back has local work that you can purchase- pretty reasonable priced. I actually bought a painting from a local black artist here. Some of the art is not on display but if you tell them the type of artwork you are interested in, you can possibly review some of the unseen pieces.

I knew the Detroit Historical Museum was going to be good because I had already cried in the…read moreparking lot. The lot itself was convenient and not overpriced, which put it solidly in the top tier of my day's experiences. I sat there long enough to have an existential crisis, which briefly escalated into a nervous breakdown, before resolving itself in a ten-minute cry followed by a fifteen-minute makeup repair. By the time I opened the car door, I was technically functional. My beloved nonagenarian Gram is in failing health. My personal life is a façade at best and a derelict shambles at worst. Mental health? Eh, not great, but I've had worse. The drugs are still doing what they're paid to do. When this happens, I tend to end up at museums. This is 100% God's honest truth. My family did museums the way other families went to Tiger games and had ski trips. They have been our natural habitat for at least four generations. When life feels unstable, I go somewhere that has survived longer than me. And here I was, in a city I had spent years of my life in close proximity to, sitting in the convenient parking lot of a museum I had somehow never visited. Despite grabbing my fair share of brochures from the "Things to Do in Metro Detroit" rack at the Michigan Welcome Center, I had nearly forgotten this place existed. Thankfully, the Red Wings reminded me. Repeatedly. More on that later. The front desk staff were especially kind and helpful, and there was a reassuring number of people waiting to get in. I started my tour in chronological order with "Origins: Life Where the River Bends" until I realized I was talking to myself and essentially reenacting Pee Wee's tour of the Alamo."Inez is holding a clay pot, which she seems very proud of, and Pedro is working on an adobe. Can you say that with me? Ah-doh-bee." I decided it was time to go downstairs. If you like narrow hallways and secret turns, this is your place. Imagine a mini version of Greenfield Village except you don't have to go outside, smell any horse crap, or narrowly avoid death as a Model T nearly takes you out. You can linger in quaint shops and cozy parlors, the kind of spaces that slow you down without asking permission. I almost grabbed a table to start writing this entry in my journal, but I knew I had more ground to cover, so I kept moving. There were charming model trains with plenty of interactive buttons to press, a new exhibit called "Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit's Comic Book Story", and even a small theatre. This was just the basement, and my nerdery was officially piqued. Back on the main floor, I skipped a few exhibits because I had a feeling the Red Wings centennial exhibit deserved my full attention. Boy was I right. Here's the thing. In the world of Red Wings and hockey knowledge in general, I am like a second grader at best. I am eager to learn, but I still don't know shit about fuck. This exhibit was neither over my head nor boring in the slightest. I stayed for ages learning about everything from the red wooden seats at Olympia Stadium, to Darren McCarty's impressively chaotic ratio of goals to fights over the years, to how Justin Abdelkader proposed to his wife at center ice at The Joe. When I finally left, I believe I had been promoted to at least fourth grade at Stephen G. Yzerman Elementary School. But I never leave a museum without visiting the gift shop. After a two-hour cranial workout, I felt I deserved some retail therapy. There was a great selection of Detroit sports shirts, books, stickers, knick knacks, and of course Better Made chips. Armed with facts and snacks, I walked back into the same parking lot I had cried in earlier, noticeably steadier than when I arrived. Detroit's motto kept echoing in my head as I walked out: Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus. We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes. It's a line that makes perfect sense for a city like this, and it turns out it works pretty well for a person who just cried in a parking lot and then wandered through history until she felt steadier again. I briefly considered getting it tattooed somewhere deeply regrettable before deciding to simply take the win and go home. It fixed me for the afternoon, which is all I ask of a museum.

The "Detroit Historical Museum" tells the story of Detroit through it's rich culture. The museum…read moredoes an incredible job with display. From the original cars in the Motor City, to there success hockey team. On the lower level, you can walk through a town and see what it was like in early Detroit. It was incredible to see the cobble roads, and the shops that sold goods for ten cents (Oh I wish). They also showed how Detroit helped with the war efforts. My favorite were the creatures that lived in Detroit. Aretha Franklin, Barry Sanders, and Sam Raimi lived in this historic city. They even have comic creatures from the city. I recommend coming here if you visit or even live in Detroit. Learn what makes the city.

Scarab Club is such a beautiful gem across from the Detroit Institute of Arts. I attended a book…read moreevent but there are art exhibitions, art classes, and other events regularly held here. I recommend attending an event just to get the chance to admire the art and architecture of the building.

This is very much worth a visit. The building and grounds are beautiful, historic, and…read morefascinating. They showcase some local artists who have studio space here. It's a venue for small to medium sized special events. It's across the street from the art museum so it's easy to amble over and check out. When I stopped by they were renovating, it's over 110 years old so this sort of thing must happen every now and then. Well worth the voluntary donation even though it was mostly closed off. Depending on your vision, you might want to bring binoculars to look at the higher parts of the exterior architecture and be careful if you are backpedaling to get a better view. Thank you to the motorist who didn't run me over by the way, when I backed into the street, Mr. Magoo style.